1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of ordering nodes. More specifically, the present invention is related to ordering nodes within hierarchical data.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
A tree structure comprising nodes is a type of data structure in which each element is attached to one or more elements directly beneath it. The connections among elements in a tree structure are called branches. Trees are often called inverted trees because they are normally drawn with the root at the top. Inverted trees are the data structures used to represent hierarchical file structures. In this case, the leaves are files and the other elements above the leaves are directories.
Tree structures have been used in prior art data processing systems to organize data. But, such prior art fails to provide for a system for ordering nodes within hierarchical data in a mark-up language-based document. Additionally, such prior art systems fail to teach a method or system for ordering nodes into a plurality of regions, wherein each of the regions defines an area within a two-dimensional space.
The following references provide for a general teaching with regard to hierarchical structures, but they fail to provide for the claimed invention's method and system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,489 discloses a method for using region-sets to focus searches in hierarchical structures. The method improves a search in a hierarchical structure by focusing the search to selected regions within the structure. The method defines one or more region-set(s) and uses the region-set(s) as either a filter for the results of a key-word search or an integrated part of a search engine to increase the efficiency of the search engine. The method also provides for dynamic creation of new region-set(s) from existing region-set(s) using a prescribed set of operators.
U.S. patent application publication 2002/0118214 A1 provides a system and method for browsing node-link structures based on an estimated degree of interest. The disclosed invention enables a user to view large collections of linked information on a computer-based display. A visualization is created which presents a representation of the complete collection of information on the display. The visualization fits completely within a fixed area of the computer-based display, negating the need to scroll information into the display area. The visualization is based on identified focus nodes and through calculation of a Degree of Interest (DOI) for each of the nodes based in the structure. Layout and presentation of the visualization structure are based on the DOI values in combination with considerations of available display space. A user may dynamically manipulate views of the structure by selecting one or more focus nodes, thus causing a recalculation of the degree of interest.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,359,635 provides for methods, articles, and an apparatus for visibly representing information and for providing an input interface. Display and/or input regions to represent a plurality of tree-related elements include: a region to represent a root element; at least two concave regions to represent at least two non-root, internal elements; and at least two regions to represent at least two leaf elements. In a particular embodiment, a first concave region is radially adjacent to both a second concave region and a third concave region, the second concave region angularly adjacent to the third concave region, and a radial width of the second concave region differing from a radial width of the third concave region.
Whatever the precise merits, features, and advantages of the above cited references, none of them achieves or fulfills the purposes of the present invention.